The storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in Texas, but has caused major flooding and power outages.
Hurricane Nicholas hit the Gulf Coast on Tuesday as a Category 1 hurricane but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.The storm is still expected to "cause life-threatening flash floods across the deep South during the next couple of days," according to the National Hurricane Center.
It’s supposed to move deeper into Texas later on Tuesday, and then into Louisiana, which was hit by Hurricane Ida just two weeks ago. More than a foot of rain could fall in the state. As of Tuesday morning, the storm had a reach of 125 miles from its center, but was weakening as it continued to move inward.
Thus far, the storm has dropped more than seven inches of rain in Houston causing flooding, knocking down trees and leaving 300,000 without power, and 500,000 are without power all across Texas, according to reports.
In Freeport and surrounding areas, the storm surge also flooded roads and left the area with zero visibility.
“Nicholas is likely to slow to a crawl over Louisiana on Wednesday as it loses any significant steering,” Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, told The Orlando Sentinel.
Both Texas and Louisiana have already requested disaster aid. Nicholas is the 14th named storm of the season.
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